[BCMA] Storing ginger beer bottles

[Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv.]

A number of museums empty the contents of bottles and dispose of
thecontents for conservation and/or safety reasons.  For curatorial reasons
I do not always agree. Sometimes the contents are rare and or significant,
but even if not, they are still original contents and thus part of the
artifact. For example, one museum I was curator of had a small, still
sealed, bottle of strychnine (poison).

If all museums disposed of all contents, how would future generations know
what the contents looked like?

While I was Manager/Curator/Archivist of the New Westminster Museums and
Archives, I collected sealed bottles of beer, bottled in the Now defunct
New Westminster Labatt's Brewery. The greatest concern was expressed by the
donor and that was that unlike wine or whiskey, the beer would lose its
taste over the years!

For display reasons an empty bottle is problematic. A huge problem for
display of empty bottles years later is "What did the contents look like?"
Colour, texture etc. If not replicated well, they just do not look right.
Somehow white foam pellets just don't cut it as "milk".

Removing the contents also damages the seal/cap.

Storage - Avoiding excesses of temperature is a good idea. Direct sunlight
is known to change the colour of some glass after long exposure and degrade
paper labels, so it is logical to assume that contents would also be
affected. Thus storing and displaying bottles in cool storage and out of
direct sunlight is recommended. Bear in mind that we are in an earthquake
zone, so store or display appropriately.

Colin Stevens


On Monday, September 1, 2014, Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv. <
bcma at lists.vvv.com> wrote:

> Hello everyone,
>
>         I have a question regarding the storage of bottles with liquid
> inside them.  I will be working with a branch of a university library that
> has recently acquired a small collection of documents and ephemera.   Among
> the collection are several bottles of ginger beer.  I believe most were
> bottled within the last few years, and we will be storing them in a cool
> environment.  What is the generally accepted best practice for storing
> bottles like this?  Do you empty them and save the bottles, or try to save
> the bottles with the liquid inside?  In this case, the liquid is of less
> interest than the bottle itself.  If you do save liquid in bottles, in what
> sort of conditions do you keep them?
>
>
>
> Thanks for your advice,
>
>
>
> Taryn Jones
>
> MAS/MLIS candidate, University of British Columbia
>
> tarynjones15 at shaw.ca
> <javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','tarynjones15 at shaw.ca');>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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-- 
Colin MacGregor Stevens
Richmond, British Columbia, CANADA

   - Museum Manager & Curator (Retired)
   - Writing a biographical book on "Smokey Smith, V.C."
   - Collector specializing in:  WWII Canadian special units such as: 1
   Canadian Parachute Battalion; First Special Service Force ("The Devil's
   Brigade"); RCN Commando "W"; British Security Co-ordination (BSC); Pacific
   Coast Militia Rangers (PCMR); post-WWII Canadian SAS Company; and Canadians
   who served on WWII (e.g. on CANLOAN) in special service in British special
   units such as S.O.,E. (including Force 136);  MI-9; Commandos; airborne
   units, SAS, RSR, SRU, BAAG, PPA etc.  Also British Columbia Provincial
   Police (BCP; BCPP) http://bcoy1cpb.pacdat.net
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